Peacock becomes leader of the forest, and marries Surya, the daughter of the sun king. But Peacock, who is only concerned with his looks, is replaced by another leader and learns that looks alone are not what matter.
Come explore the hidden shapes and patterns in nature. The peacock's flashy tail is a masterpiece of color and shape. A buzzing beehive is built of tiny hexagons. Even a snake's skin is patterned with diamonds. Poet Betsy Franco and Caldecott Honor winner Steve Jenkins bring geometry to life in this lively, lyrical look at the shapes and patterns that can be found in the most unexpected places.
This book is a success story. It explains two long-running puzzles of the theory of natural selection. How can natural selection favour those, like the ant, that renounce tooth and claw in favour of the public-spirited ways of the commune? How can it explain the peacock's tail, flamboyant and a burden to its bearer; surely selection would act against useless ornamentation? Helena Cronin's enthralling account blends history, science and philosophy in a gripping tale that is scholarly, entertaining and eminently readable. The hardback edition was selected by Nature as one of the best scientific books in 1992. Also the New York Times chose it as one of their best books of 1992. The author divides her time between the Philosophy Department at the London School of Economics and the Zoology Department at Oxford.
Until Flynn’s neighbor in North Carolina offered him one, he had never considered whether he wanted a peacock. His family became the owners of not one but three charming yet fickle birds: Carl, Ethel, and Mr. Pickle. Here he chronicles their first year as peacock owners, from struggling to build a pen to assisting the local bird doctor in surgery to triumphantly watching a peahen lay her first egg. He also examines the history of peacocks, from their appearance in the Garden of Eden. And Flynn travels across the globe to learn more about the birds firsthand. His book offers surprising lessons about love, grief, fatherhood, and family. -- adapted from jacket.
A hilarious read-aloud favorite about some foolish farm animals who decide to trade roles—and discover just how hard it is to do someone else's job, from award-winning author Lester L. Laminack and celebrated illustrator Henry Cole. The Tuckers' farm is a peaceful place where everyone has a job and no one complains. That is, until a hapless peacock falls off the back of a passing truck and stirs things up. Soon, customers are flocking to the farm to see what all the fuss is about. But the hens don't like the newcomer getting attention while they do all the hard work. When a wise old hound sees the problem, he helps orchestrate a job swap. What follows is the riotous tale of three hens who get in way over their feathered heads, and one very distressed peacock who just can't figure out how to lay an egg. Lester L. Laminack has created a comical look at envy, finding your strength, and what happens when we underestimate the value of others' work. Henry Cole's delightful illustrations heighten the story's humor and will have readers of all ages laughing out loud.
Learn how the ancient Christian Celts read the Bible-and discover new ways to understand the sacred Scriptures today. The Celts' perspectives on the Bible were far less literal than many modern viewpoints, and yet at the same time, they treasured even deeper layers of meaning than are familiar to most twenty-first century readers. For the Celts, Scripture was a wondrous treasure trove of metaphor and meaning, stories and symbols, all pointing to the loving Mystery that weaves through all Reality. "At certain points while reading this book, I could just nod my head, seeing in print things that I have felt deeply but had never put into words. At other points I was stopped in my tracks, reading something that seemed so simple, yet so profound. There were times I had to stop and re-read the same paragraph several times, not because it was too difficult to understand, but because there was so much packed into just a few sentences." -Steve Robinson, Wolf Mountain Books "A very good introduction to how the Celtic followers of Jesus read and saw the Bible. I highly recommend it. Ken's writing style is really easy to follow-which is saying a lot for such a vast and complex topic." -Jack Gillespie, Celtic priest in the Lindisfarne Community